Channeling and roughing machine



W. E. NAUGLER GHANNELING AND ROUGHING MACHINE 7 Dec. 17, 1940.

Filed Jan. 27, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l O O y W o 8 0 m o o 2 m1 M F w VM V fkw max Dec. 17, 1940. w. E. NAUGLER 2,225,078

CHANNELING AND ROUGHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 27, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /00 S [ll Dec. 17, 1940. w. E. NAUGLER 2,225,073

CHANNELING AND ROUGHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 27, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.6

Fig.6

. Figlfi I Patented Dec. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT O F E- 1 CHANNELING 1 32mm v I I Walter E. Naugler, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough a "of Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 27, 1939, Serial No. 253,149

21 Claims. (01. 12-17) g ing mechanism which is simple and efficient in This invention relates to automatic machines for operating upon soles for boots and shoes and is herein illustrated by way of example as embodied in a machine for preparing outsoles for McKay sewed shoes.

In the manufacture of certain types of shoes it is customary to produce a channel on the tread face of an outsole by cutting and raising a flap along the edge thereof and to attach the outsole to an upper by a row of stitches which pass through the bottom of this channel. After the channeling and sewing operations itis customary to roughen the adjoining surfaces of the channel and the flap to prepare those surfaces for the application of an adhesive which will hold the flap in place when it is pressed back into the channel. In accordance with the present practice the channeling and the roughening operations are carried out separately and on different machines.

It is an object of this invention to provide a machine for performing the channeling and the roughening operations referred to above in one continuous machine operation. To this end, the

invention contemplates the provision in a ma-' chin-e having a knife for cutting a slit or channel in the edge portion of a sole member, of means for roughening the base of the slit or channel and the adjoining surface of the flap 0 formed by the cutting operation. In one form of the illustrated embodiment, the roughening means comprises roughening' surfaces on the channeling knife and also on a grooving knife which is disposed adjacent to the channeling knife. In another embodiment, the roughening means is separate from the knives and is arranged for engagement with the surfaces form-ed by'the channeling knife.

This invention in another aspect relates to means for automatically maintaining the correct angular relation between the work and the tool as the point of operation is transferred along the work. In automatic machines it is important that the correct angular relation between the work and the tool be maintained at the point of operation inasmuch as variations in the relative positions of the work and the tool will result in defective work. This is especially true of automatic channeling machines where a variation in this relationship will result in the knives cutting out of a sole member as the operation proceeds around sharp corners such as are encountered in the toe and shank portions and, in the case where a sole is being channeled for McKay sewing, the continuity of the groove formed by the grooving knife will be broken and a series of zigzag grooves will be formed which cannot properly seat the stitches.

With this in view, it is a further object of this invention to provide an improved work positionoperation and requires few moving parts for use in automatic machines to maintain the correct angular relation between the workand the tool at the point of operation as the operation progresses along the work. In the illustrated embodiment of thisv feature of the invention, the work positioning means comprises a pair I of spaced members located on opposite sides" of the point of operation which press against the work piece being operated upon and exert "forces on the work piece that tend to swing it in opposite directions about the 'point of operation, the arrangement being such that when the forces are in equilibrium the proper angular relation exists between'the tool and the surface of the work at the point of operation. Thus, as the operation progresses around a work piece, as for example a sole member which has'a contour of varying curvature, the condition of equilibrium between the forces will'be disturbed as the degree of curvature changes and the sole member will be swung by the members in one direction or the other about the'point of operation and in this manner the angular relationship between the work and the tool will be corrected automatically as'the operation progresses.

Further features of this invention relateto v the association of the roughening means with the channeling knife and with the grooving knife; to the construction and arrangement of the actuating mechanism for the edge knife whereby the knife is movedin 'a curvilinear path and cuts with a combined pressing and drawing action of the blade against the surface of the work, and to the arrangement of the gaging and the feeding mechanisms.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine for channeling soles for boots andshoes embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine taken along lines II-II of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1 looking down on the machine; I

Fig. 4 is aview taken along section line IV-IV of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is a view taken along section line VV looking in the direction of the arrows;

. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the grooving knife used in the illustrated machine showing the roughening means;

Fig. 7 is a view of the edge knife showing a work roughening surface thereon;

Fig. 8 is a view taken along line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7 showing the roughening surfaces on the opposite sides of the edge knife;

Fig. 9 is a side view of a modified form of the cutting and roughening unit in which a separate roughening member is used;

Fig. 10 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale looking down on the unit shown in Fig. 9 showing the linear relationship of the knives and the roughening member;

Fig. 11" is a view showing the relationship between the edge gage, the work positioning means and the knives as the operation progresses along the relatively straight portion of the forepart of a sole;

Fig. 12 is a view showing the position of the parts shown in Fig. 11 as the operation progresses around the toe of a sole member;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of a portion of a sole member which has been operated upon by the illustrated machine, showing the shape and location of the cuts made therein;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the sole member shown in Fig. 13 taken from a point along lines XIV-XIV of Fig. 13 illustrating the effect of the roughenin means on the adjoining surfaces of the feather and lip formed by the channeling knife, and

Fig. 15 is a perspective View showing the work positioning means acting on a template attached to a sole member.

The illustrated machine comprises a base sec-- tion H) which is adapted to'be fastened to a bench or other supporting means by bolts l 2 and has upstanding partitions which act as a supporting frame for the machine parts, the front partition consisting of uprights I4 and [5 which are joined by an inclined plate 1'6 (Fig. 1) while the rear partition consists of uprights l1 and 18 which are joined by a horizontal member l9. Mounted on the front partition (Figs. 2 and 5) is an edge knife 20 and a grooving knife 22 disposed immediately behind the edge knife, said knives being arranged to operate on the marginal portion of sole members and form thereon a lip L and a feather F having a groove therein '(Fig. 13). The

grooving knif 22 is carried by a block 24 which is pivoted on the front 'partitionby a stud 25 that extends through an opening in the inclined plate 5 (Figs. 1 and 3). The edge knife 20 is fastened to the upper end of a carrier 26 (Fig. 5) which is slidably mounted in a central aperture in the block 24 and is connected at its lower end to an eccentric crank 28 on a drive shaft 30. The drive shaft 3-0 is rotata'b-ly mounted in the inclined plate i6 (Figs. 1 and 2) and is connected to a source of power by a pulley 3'2 and a belt '34. Upon rotation of the crank 28 the edge knife carrier 26 pivots about thestud 25, the vertical component of the movement-of the crank 28 causing the carrier 26 to slide up and down through the aperture in the block 24 while the horizontal component of the movement causes a like movement of the block 24 and the grooving knife 22 carried by the block. Thus, 'the'movement of the knife '20 is patterned after that of the crank 28 and the knife moves in a closed curvilinear path, the path traced by the knife 20 being determined by the location of the pivoting stud 25. In the preferred embodiment this, stud is spaced from the axis of th shaft '30 a distance equal to approximately half the length of the carrier 26 and knife 20 and thus the knife moves in a circular path; however, by changing the distance of the "pivoting stud 25 from the axis of the driving shaft 30 the horizontal component of the movement of the carrier 26 will be changed and the knife 20 will move in an elliptical path. The grooving knife 22 partakes of the horizontal component of the movement of the edge knife carrier 26 but not of the vertical component of the movement of the carrier, hence the spacing between the knives will be constant as the grooving knife oscillates back and forth with the edge knife 20. As will be evident from an inspection of Fig. 5, the edge of the grooving knife 22 corresponds with the line of centers of the driving shaft 30 and the pivoting stud 25 when the grooving knife is at the mid point of its travel so that upon operation it moves through a flat are which extends a short distance on either side of the line of centers. Upon operation of the machine, the feed wheel 58 (which 'will presently be described) is rotated at a peripheral speed which is slower than the linear speed of the knives so that there will be an appreciable overlap in the cutting strokes of the knives which will result in the elimination of the somewhat scalloped shaped cuts which would otherwise be ma-d-e as a result of the curviiinear movement of the knives. This latter is more true of the edge knife 20 than of the grooving knife 22 as the latter moves in a fiat are which to all intent produces a substantially straight line out.

In accordance with one of the features of this invention the curvilinear movement of the knives is utilized to roughen the surfaces formed by the k edge knife 2!! to prepare them for the application of an adhesive. This is done by providing the sides of the edge knife 20 with roughened surfaces 2| (Figs. 7 and 8) and the grooving knife 22 with a roughened surface 23. Thus, upon operation of the knives the roughened surfaces 2| on the edge knife 20 will be moved with a whirling action across the channel and lip surfaces which have been formed by the blade of that knife and the roughened surface 23 on the grooving knife 22 will be moved across the whirls formed by 'the knife 20 as the grooving knife is oscillated back and forth thus scarifying the surface still further. While both the edge knife 20 and the grooving knife 22 are provided with A The sole member being operated upon is gaged by an edge gage which regulates the depth of the cut made by the edge knife 20 and by aside gage 38 which controls the thickness of the lip L and feather F which are formed by the edge knife. The edge gage 36 is located below the feed wheel 58 (Fig. 2) and is adjustably fastened to the back partition by a bolt 35 which extends through a slot 3''! in the edge gage (Figs. 1 and 4) and is threaded into the back partition. The side gage 33 is mounted on an oscillatable carrier 49 where it is located ahead of the edge knife 20 a sufficient distance to permit the lip which has been formed by the knife 25 to pass between it and the knives 2d, 22 (Fig. 3), the

gage having a fiat face 46 which extends substantially parallel to the adjacent sides of the knives 2f 22 to facilitate the passage of the lip therebetween. The connection between the gage 38 and the carrier 40 is adjustable so that the distance between the knives 20, 22 and the gage the proper relation be maintained between the may be varied to permit lips of various thicknessesto pass between them, the adjustable connections consisting of a flat plate 48 to which the gage 3B is connected and which is seated on the flat upper end of the carrier (Figs 1 and 5) and is connected thereto by screws 52 (Fig. 3) which extend through elongated openings inthe plate 48 and are threaded into the carrier 40. As is shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the carrier 40 is positioned between the block 24 and the inclined plate I6 of the front partition where it is pivoted on the stud 25 and is moved back and forth in unison with the knives 20, 22 by the crank 28, the crank being coupled thereto by a block 44 which is slidably mounted in a slot 42' in the "lower end of the carrier (Figs. 1 and 5). The side gage 38 is assisted in positioning a sole member in the machine by a guide 52 which is located ahead of the gage 38 in the direction of the feed and is adjustably connected to the upright M of the front partition by a screw 54 which passes through a slot 56 in the guide 52 (Fig. 2) the work engaging face of the guide being disposed substantially in' the plane of the work engagin portion of the thickness gage '38.

A sole is fed. past the knives 20 and 22 by a tiltably mounted feed wheel 58 which is located slightly ahead of the edge gage 35 in the direction of the feed (Fig. 3) and is inclined downwardly toward the edge gage (Fig. 2) so that the components of the force exerted by the feed wheel will urge the sole downwardly and forwardly, the downward component holding the sole against the edge gage 36 while the forward component moves it past that gage and the knives 20 and 22 thus providing an arrangement which will automatically feed the sole through the machine without the intervention of the operator. The feed wheel 58 is carried by the upper end of a shaft 60 that is arranged to swing back and forth about .a transversely extending drive shaft 68 as a center, the lower end of the shaft 69 being supported by a carrier 66 which is oscillatably mounted on the drive shaft 68 (Fig. 2). The upper end of the shaft 60 is connected to the feed wheel 58 by a pin 62' that extends through the shaft and is received in a recess formed in the feed wheel (Fig. a), while the lower end. of the shaft is geared to the drive shaft 68 by a spur gear 10 positioned between the carrier 66 and a collar H fast to the lower end of the shaft 60 (Fig. 2), said spur gear 10 meshing with a complemental gear I2 on the drive shaft 68. The drive shaft 68 is journaled in the uprights l1 and ll! of the rear partition and is connected to a convenient source of power by a pulleySfl mounted on the shaft 68 and a belt 92 which connects the pulley to the source of power. The feed wheel 58 is urged into engagement with the sole by a spring 82 which acts through a rod 15 and a collar 14 on the upper end of the shaft 60 (Fig. 2), the rod 16 being pivoted to the collar 14 and slidably mounted in the spaced arms f8, of a U-shaped carrier 86 that is fastened to the horizontal member IQ of the rear partition by screws 88. The spring 82 is sleeved on the rod 15 and is confined between the rear arm 82 of the carrier 86 and a pin 84 on the rod H5. Thus upon operation of the machine the feed wheel 58 is driven by the pulley 99, the drive being through the drive shaft 68, intermeshing gears 10, 12 and the shaft 60, and it is held against the work by the spring 82 acting through the rod 16 and the collar 14.

When channeling soles, it is important that work being operated upon and the channeling knives at the point of operation. In non-automatic machines, the operator guides the work and sees to it that the proper relation is maintained;- however, in automatic machines some provision must be made to regulate this relationship automatically. In the illustrated machine, a very simple and eflicient mechanism having few moving parts is provided for per- 10 forming this function. This mechanism consists of a lever Hi0 having a pair of spaced .abutments 94, which are located on opposite sides of the edge gage 36 (Figs; 1 and '11) and project into the plane of a sole member being operated upon 15 (Fig. 3) where they engage the sole edge on opposite sides of the point of operation. The lever I60 is pivoted to'the upright l8 of the rear partition by .a pin I02 (Figs. 1 and 3) and is'urged in a clockwise direction by a spring Hi4, one end '2 of which is connectedto an eye I06 fast to the upright I8 and the other end is hooked into one of a series of openings H38 in the lever Hill depending upon the force which his the spring I04 on the "lever I00 will force the abutments 94, 96 against the edge of a sole member being operated upon and as the abutments press against the sole edge on opposite sides of i the edge gage 35 they exert forces on the sole 0 member which tend to swing it in opposite di rections about the edge' gage or, to state it somewhat differently, about the point of operation inasmuch as the locus of operation of the knives 2B, 22 lies between the abutments 94, 95.

The abutments are so arranged that when those forces which they exert on the sole that tend to swing the sole in opposite directions about the edge gage are in equilibrium, the proper angular relation exists between the knives 20, 2! and the 40 surface of the sole at the point of operation. In order that the sole edge will be held against the edge gage'as the operation progresses, the spring M34 is adjusted so that the upwardly directed force exerted by the abutment's 94 and 96 on the sole member is less than the oppositely directed component of the force from the feed wheel 58 which holds the sole edge against the edge gage.

' As is best shown in Figs. 4 11 and 12, the portion of the lever I fill extending between the abut- I ments 94, 96 is curved downwardly and thence upwardlyto form a U-shaped member which passes under the edge gage 36. When no work is in the machine the bottom of the U-portion will .abut against the edge gage 36 (Figs. 1 and 4) '55 contact with the sole edge and when this happens the entire force of the spring I04 will be exerted through the abutment 94 on to the trailing side" of the edge gage, thus swinging the sole about the edge gage 36 until the leading side again contacts the abutment 96 and the condition of 70 equilibrium between the forces exerted by the abutments 94, 96 on the sole is regained. Thus thesole will be swung back and forth about the edge gage 36 as the curvature of the sole changes with the progress of the operation along the sole 75 I A g I desired to M have the spring exert on the lever. The pull of and in this manner the correct angular relationship will be maintained between the sole and the knives 20, 22 at the point of operation. In the illustrated machine the abutments 94, 96 exercise their control over the position of the sole member by exerting pressure against the sole edge. However, it will be apparent that they could exert the same control by acting on an edge of a template which is fastened to the sole member. In Fig. 15, for example, the abutments 94, 96 are shown acting on a template T which is attached tothe sole member S by the usual fastening means such as tacks or the like. The clearance between the head hi and the arm 18 (Fig. 2) will allow the feed wheel 58 to move back from the knives a sufficient distance to permit the insertion of a sole S with an attached template T. If it is desired to have the abutments 94, 96 engage only the template T, then the abutments can be detachably connected to the arm I00 and abutments of appropriate length can be mounted on the arm I 08 when it is desired to operate upon soles having attached templates.

It will be apparent that the automatic work positioning device may be used in connection with any machine which operates upon the marginal portion of a sole or insole blank including machines for slitting, lip turning, or reinforcing insoles, or for performing various analogous operations, and the claims therefore, except such as are directed specifically to channeling machines, are not limited to machines for performing any particular operation.

In the operation of the machine, a sole S is pushed down, edge first, between the thickness gage 38 and feed wheel 58 (Fig. 3) thus forcing the feed wheel backwardly a distance equal to the thickness of the sole and also moving the abutments S4 and 96 downwardly until the sole edge contacts the edge gage 36. The sole is then released by the operator and the feed wheel 58 moves it through the machine automatically and as it is moved through the machine the knives 28 and 22 will progressively cut a lip and a groove in the sole member to form a cut of the shape as shown in Fig. 13 and the roughening surfaces on these knives will roughen the adjacent surfaces of the channel and lip; The downwardly and forwardly directed forces exerted upon the sole by' the feed wheel 58 will hold the sole edge down against the edge gage 3G and will move it past that gage and the knives 20 and 22, and as the operation progresses around the sole, the correct angular relation between the sole and the knives at the point of operation will be maintained by the action of the spaced abutments 94, 96 on the sole edge.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim. as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An automatic machine comprising a tool, feeding mechanism acting to transfer the point of operation of the tool along the work, work positioning means for applying pressure to the work on opposite sides of the tool to maintain the correct angular relation between the work and the tool as the point of operation progresses along the work, said Work positioning means being arranged for movement relatively to the tool, and means for pressing the work positioning means against the work.

2. An automatic machine comprising a tool, feeding mechanism acting to transfer the point of operation of the tool along the work, movably mounted work positioning means arranged for pressing engagement with the edge of the work on opposite sides of the tool to maintain the correct relation between the Work and the tool as the point of operation progresses along the work, and means for urging the work positioning means against the work.

3. An automatic machine for operating upon sole members having forms attached thereto before they are presented to the machine, said machine comprising a tool, feeding mechanism acting to transfer the point of operation of the tool along the work in the direction of the periphery of the form, a gage arranged to engage the periphery of the form, and work positioning means for applying pressure to the form at points located on opposite sides of the gage to maintain the correct relation between the work and the tool as the operation. progresses.

4. An automatic machine comprising a tool, an edge gage, feeding mechanism acting to transfer the point of operation of the tool along the Work, work positioning mechanism for controlling the relative positions of the tool and the work being operated upon as the operation progresses, said work positioning mechanism comprising movable members located on opposite sides of the edge gage, and means for forcing said members against the work to swing the work back and forth about the gage as the peripheral curvature of the work changes thereby to maintain the correct relation between the work and the tool at the point of operation.

5. An automatic machine as defined in claim 4 wherein the feeding mechanism comprises a feed wheel arranged to force the Work against the edge gage during the feeding operation and in which the movable members apply pressure to the periphery of the work piece in a direction opposite to that force exerted by the feed wheel on the work which urges the work against the edge gage, the force exerted by the movable members being less than that exerted by the feed wheel whereby the work is held against the gage throughout the operation.

6. An automatic sole machine comprising a tool, feeding mechanism acting to transfer the point of operation of the tool along a sole, and means mounted for movement relatively to the tool during the operation of the machine, said means being arranged to apply spaced forces to a sole tending to swing it in opposite directions about the point of operation, the location and magnitude of the forces being such that a condition of equilibrium exists between the forces when the correct angular relation exists between the sole. and the tool at the point of operation and movement of the sole away from that position will be resisted by one of said forces whereby the sole will be moved relatively to the tool as the operation progresses in accordance with the curvature of its edge to maintain the correct angular relation between the work and the tool throughout the operation.

7. An automatic channeling machine comprising a channeling knife, means for transferring the point of operation of the knife along a sole being operated upon, and work positioning mechanism for relatively moving the knife and the sole as the operation progresses to maintain the correct angular relation between the knife and the sole at the point of operation, said work positioning mechanism comprising means disposed for engagement with the sole on opposite sides of the knife and arranged for movement relative thereto to apply pressure to the sole at the points of engagement.

8. An automatic channeling machine comprising a channeling knife, an edge gage, feeding means arranged to force the Work against the gage as it moves it past the knife, spaced members arranged to press against the work on either side of the gage and to exert oppositely directed forces on the work which will swing it about the gage as a center until an equilibrium is reached between the forces when the work is positioned correctly relatively to the tool, and means for forcing the members against the work.

9. An automatic channeling machine comprising a knife, feeding mechanism acting to transfer the point of operation of the knife along a sole member, work positioning mechanism for maintaining the correct angular relation between the knife and the sole member at the point of operation, said work positioning mechanism comprising a lever having spaced portions arranged for engagement with the sole member on either side of the gage, and means for forcing the spaced portions of the lever against the edge of the sole member.

10. An automatic McKay channeling machine comprising a channeling knife and a grooving knife, means for moving the channeling knife in a closed curvilinear path, an edge gage for regulating the cuts made by said knives, a feed wheel arranged to force the work against the edge gage and to move it past said knives, and work positioning means arranged in cooperative relation With the edge gage for maintaining the correct angular relation between the sole member being operated upon and the knives at the point of operation as the channeling operation progresses along the work.

11. A machine as defined in claim wherein 40 the work positioning means comprises a pivoted lever having spaced abutments thereon arranged for engagement with the work on opposite sides of the edge gage and in which resilient means is provided for forcing the abutments against the work.

12. An automatic sole fitting machine for cutting a channel in the marginal portion of a sole member and roughening the severed surfaces to adapt them for the application of an adhesive 50 comprising an oscillatable channeling knife, feeding means for transferring the point of operation of the knife about a sole, roughening means for scarifying the surfaces formed by the oscillatable knife, and work positioning mechanism for maintaining the correct relation between the sole, the oscillatable knife, and the roughening means at the point of operation as it progresses along the sole.

13. An automatic sole fitting machine as de- 60 fined in claim 12 wherein the roughening means is carred by the oscillatable knife.

14. An automatic sole fitting machine as defined in claim 12 wherein a grooving knife is disposed adjacent to the oscillatable knife and is ar- 15 ranged to form a groove in the channel formed by the oscillatable knife and in which the roughening means comprises a roughened surface on at least one of said knives.

15. A sole fitting machine comprising an edge 70 gage, feeding means for moving a sole member past the edge gage, and mechanism for forming a feather and a lip in the sole member and for roughening the adjoining surfaces of the feather and the lip in one continuous machine operation. 16. A channeling machine comprising an edge gage, feeding mechanism for moving a sole member past the edge gage, a knife adjacent to said edge gage arranged to form a feather and a lip in the sole member, and means for roughening the surface of the feather formed by said knife.

1'7. A channeling machine comprising an edge gage, feeding mechanism for moving a sole past the edge gage, and a knife adjacent to said edge gage arranged to make a slit in the sole member as it is moved through the machine by the feeding means, said knife having roughening means thereon for scarifying the surfaces formed by it thereby to prepare those surfaces for the application of an adhesive.

18. A McKay channeling machine for operating upon a sole member comprising an edge knife arranged to make a slit in a sole member, and a grooving knife arranged to form a stitch receiving groove in one of the surfaces formed by the edge knife, at least one of said knives being provided with roughening means for roughening the surfaces formed by the edge knife thereby to prepare those surfaces for the application of an adhesive.

19. A channeling machine comprising a channeling knife having a roughened surface thereon, said knife being arranged to operate upon a work piece in the machine, actuating mechanism for moving the knife in a closed curvilinear path thereby simultaneously to. cut and to roughen a work piece, and feeding means for transferring the point of operation of the knife along the work.

20. A channeling machine comprising an edge knife arranged to form a feather and a lip in the margin of a sole member, actuating mechanism including a crank for moving the edge knife in a closed curvilinear path, an edge gage arranged to regulate the depth of the cut made by the edge knife, a second gage arranged for engagement with a surface of the sole member adjacent to the point of operation for regulating the thickness of the lip formed by the knife, and means for connecting the second gage with the actuating mechanism for the edge knife for moving said second gage with the edge knife and a fixed distance in advance of that knife in the direction of the feed.

21. A stock fitting machine comprising a knife arranged to operate upon a sole member in the machine, actuating mechanism for moving the said knife in a closed curvilinear path, an oscillatable grooving member connected with the actuating mechanism for the knife and arranged to form a groove in one of the surfaces shaped by said knife, said knife and grooving member having roughened surfaces thereon for scarifying the surfaces formed. by the knife, gaging means for controlling the location of the cut made by said knife, feeding mechanism acting to transfer the point of operation of the knife and the grooving member along the sole, said feeding mechanism including a tiltable feed wheel arranged to hold the sole against the gaging means as it feeds the sole past the knife and the grooving member, work positioning means for maintaining the correct angular relation between the sole, the knife, and the grooving member at the point of operation, said work positioning means including a lever having spaced portions arranged for engagement with the sole edge on opposite sides of the point of operation, and resilient means acting on the lever to force said spaced portions against the sole edge.

WALTER NAUGLER. 

